Interval Pace is 5K race pace.  If you want to run a 15:37 or 18:45 5K, then your race pace is 5 min/6 min respectively so the interval pace is 1:15/1:30 per 400m or 37.5/45 per 200m.

Once a week, a run should be long enough to consist of 20-25% of your total weekly volume.  If you are running a total of 300 min for 6 days training week, the Long Run should be about 60 min that week (20% of 300 is 60).  That means your other 5 days should be around 45-50 min each run.  If your total minutes are around 500 min for 6 days, then the long run should be around 1:45 – 2hr run or 100-120 min (20-25% of 500min) leaving 380-400 minutes for 5 days or about 75 – 80 min runs each day. 

Easy Pace is typically 60-90 seconds per mile slower than average mile for a 5K race.  If your 18:45 5K race is a 6 min mile pace, then your runs should be 7 to 7:30 min miles.  For a 15:37 5K, 6 to 6:30   If an athlete is struggling at that pace due to fatigue, then 2 minutes slower than 5K pace is appropriate.  Easy run pace is any run, including recovery running in between intervals and also including warm up and cooldown.

Tempo Pace is 30 seconds per mile slower than average mile pace for a 5K race.  If your PR in a 5K race is 18:45, that is about 6 min mile pace so Tempo pace is around 6:30 per mile.  If your PR in the 5K race is 15:37, that is 5 minute mile pace or around 5:30 for Tempo pace.  Tempo runs should be 10-45 minutes in length and run at the constant Tempo pace.  Tempo runs should be built on a progression so that a runner can learn to run consistently throughout the run and not go too fast or too slow.

To run fast is to run an even pace for an entire race or an entire workout.  The ability to run various types of paces and various types of workouts without slowing down will lead to the probability of running faster times.  

Progression is the gradual and systematic movement toward a destination that requires time and patience but also intentionality.  Success only occurs when the body is pushed to the next level but injury is only avoided when that next level is reached gradually.  There is a fine line between moving forward and moving forward too fast or too slow.  Avoiding injury helps to avoid uninterrupted training which aids in following a natural and gradual progression toward success.

The key to success in athletics is to have as much uninterrupted training as possible. Interruptions in training should be voluntary more than involuntary.  In order to limit involuntary interruptions (ie – days off), steps should be taken to avoid injury, such as proper progression, recovery, rest, nutrition, training, patience, communication with coaches and trainers. The goal is to train 6 days a week, 12 months a year with the only stoppage in training being voluntary.  The more uninterrupted training an athlete can string together, the more likely their success will look like graph 5, than graphs 2, 3 or 4 (see earlier post).

​Health is relative.  Some people will always be injured but are able to continue to train at a high level.  Some people will never be injured.  It is up to the athlete to understand their own body and understand what “healthy” means for them.

​“Injury” is physical harm that inhibits or limits normal training.  Injury should be avoided but if it does happen, the injury should be treated and corrected as soon as possible but will take more time than expected (see expectation below).  Injuries are part of athletics and they take time to fix.

“Soreness” is pain or discomfort as a result of training.  Soreness should be sought after and then managed.  Soreness is much different than injury and soreness can be trained through.  However, soreness that is unmanaged can turn into an injury.

​Goals are a desired result worth pursuing.  Goals allow us to keep our motivation directed toward a specific destination or result.  Time and place goals are appropriate.  Goals in regards to behavior (getting 8 hours of sleep, going to bed at the same time, sacrificing social time for homework and recovery, studying in the library instead of your room, running hard in practice, icing after practice, visualizing, helping others, being a good TEAMmate, working hard on drills and lifting and not just going through the motions) are most important.  Set Goals and not Expectations!